Smoothies!

One of the best things about smoothies is their versatility. Is it a snack? Dessert? A full meal replacement? An alcoholic escape to an island?

In reality, a smoothie can be anything you want it to be, from a refreshing sweet-tooth-satisfying blend that resembles a pina colada to a thick and protein-y green machine!

There are plenty of websites, blogs, pins and Insta shots featuring the more beautiful smoothies, the ones designed to pack a couple hundred extra calories in, without really giving you all that much nutrition. So I’m not focusing on those.

What I’m talking about here are the breakfast, lunch and dinner smoothies. The quick and easy meals that you whip up and drink in the car on the way to work (we’ve all been there!) As a working mom, I know first hand that often enough, breakfast is thrown to the wayside in the mad morning rush to get daycare, laptops, poopy diapers and ironed shirts sorted. Breakfast just kind of slips through the cracks.

Even with these smoothie combos under my belt, I have to be honest. It’s still not always easy. I don’t think there is a magic combo of kale and almond milk that can make mornings with children and a job easy. If there is, and I just haven’t figured it out yet, please tell me your secrets!!!

With that in mind though, having a plan is huge. In every aspect of life. With breakfast in particular though it makes SUCH a difference. Not only does eating a protein packed, highly nutritious breakfast start you off right for the obvious reasons (eating healthy=good). It also has many other, less obvious perks.

First off, with a full belly, you won’t be tempted to pull through that drive-through and order 500 calories worth of deep fried hashbrowns made from god knows what for breakfast. Major win there. Second, eating a good fiber filled meal in the morning kick-starts your metabolism, getting it working on digesting that food. When you keep your metabolism going it keeps burning food, and fat, and keeps you healthier (and thinner). Also major win.

Finally, eating a nutritious meal in the morning helps balance your cortisol levels. Cortisol helps regulate your blood sugar by producing glucose. Your blood sugar is always a bit low in the morning from your overnight fast – this isn’t a bad thing, but it does mean that your cortisol levels will also be a bit high. In order to regulate that, and bring your blood sugar back to where it should be, all you need to do is eat! This will tell your body that you have it under control, it can stop making cortisol. Not eating in the morning causes your body to create mass amounts of cortisol – more than it should. An over abundance of cortisol has been directly linked to stress and weight gain (especially around the midsection). Ick.

So, that being said, eat breakfast! You don’t have to make a gourmet frittata, or caramelize vegan French toast. In fact the smoothie combos I have listed here are far healthier than either of those options! It is really a complete kick-start to your morning. You’ve got fiber, protein, and a whole slew of vitamins and minerals from the added powder. A scoop of Cordyceps also helps give you a (natural) kick of energy.

My typical morning madness consists of measuring out my almond milk into my smoothie cup (I use the ninja bullet, literally one of my best purchases ever!) I then drop in my frozen goodness – typically bananas or cauli as the creamy base and then a small handful of fruit – I marked the fruits that go well with chocolate (C), Vanilla (V), and both (C,V)to the right of the fruit. I always have a wide variety of fruit frozen so I can pick whatever I’m feeling in the morning.

Depending on which fruit I chose I’ll pick my flavor of protein powder. You absolutely don’t have to use flavored. I do though…because honestly I feel that protein powder is kind of nasty unflavored!…Anyhow, I toss in my protein powder, a good-sized handful of greens, and my Cordyceps.. I’ll add one or two superchargers depending on what I’m feeling. (I also keep most of these on hand in the freezer…except avocado…)

If I’m feeling instagram-y I’ll toss on a topper or two and snap a shot. Otherwise I’ll screw on my lid, stick a straw in, grab the car-seat (verify there is a baby in it) and run out the door. I do usually forget something, but at least it’s not my breakfast!

This list is meant more as a reference to get you going. Once you have developed some favorites and preferences, do some research! There are plenty of other fruits and veggies out there that you could use, and depending on where you live, some may be even more accessible! Have fun, keep it interesting – and let me know if you come up with any killer combos! 🙂